Human rights agenda, including Agency for Social Inclusion and Hate Free Culture, now under Czech Justice Minister

The Human Rights Section, which during the previous administration was part of the agenda of the Minister for Human Rights, Equal Opportunities and Legislation, is now being administered by the Justice Ministry in the Czech Republic, and Justice Minister Robert Pelikán has become the chair of the Council for Romani Minority Affairs. Pelikán’s spokesperson told news server Romea.cz that the minister is not planning any personnel changes currently, that he appreciates the Hate Free Culture project as a successful one, and that once January comes he is planning to visit excluded localities together with the Agency for Social Inclusion.

“The human rights agenda is newly part of the minister’s agenda. As far as personnel or other changes go, at this moment he does not plan any,” Justice Ministry press spokesperson Tereza Schejbalová told news server Romea.cz.

Deputy Minister Martina Štěpánková will remain in the post of managing the Human Rights Section. Her alternate is David Beňák, who ended his term as a political deputy minister after the position of Human Rights Minister was discontinued on Friday, 15 December 2017, Romea.cz has learned.

“The minister wants above all to find ways to increase the efficiency of the work done by that section in the area of integration so as to achieve actual progress as opposed to just progress ‘on paper’,” the press spokesperson said of the Justice Minister’s plans. “The minister has also become the chair of the Council for Romani Minority Affairs and is very much looking forward to that agenda and to working in that area.”

The Justice Ministry will also now oversee the Agency for Social Inclusion. “At the beginning of January, together with the Agency for Social Inclusion, he is planning to hold negotiations in the field, in the localities the Agency is involved with,” the press spokesperson said.

The Agency implements the Hate Free Culture project, which has been criticized by some politicians, including the most recent Human Rights Minister, Jan Chvojka. “As far as the Hate Free Culture project is concerned, the Justice Minister is of the opinion that despite its current negative media image, that project has contributed many past successes, and he does not rule out its continuation,” the Justice Ministry press spokesperson said.